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22/07/2004
Man appears in court following tobacco seizure
A Londonderry man has been charged with the fraudulent evasion of excise duty following the seizure of over 30,000 duty free cigarettes at Belfast International Airport (BIA) on Monday.
Officers from Customs’ North Regional Strike Force uncovered the cigarette haul on Monday afternoon when baggage belonging to travellers returning on a flight from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, was searched.
Following the detection, supported by the PSNI, Customs officers seized a further 29,700 cigarettes in a follow-up operation at domestic premises in the North West.
Commenting on the seizure, Customs Head of Detection in Northern Ireland, Colin McAllister said: “This is part of Customs’ ongoing work to prevent not only the commercial smuggling, but also the onward transport and sale and thus protect honest shopkeepers in Northern Ireland. These seizures alone would have meant almost £14,000 in lost sales to legitimate traders.
“Customs officers will continue to tackle smugglers who use holiday flights to cover their illegal activities. However, we would stress that honest travellers should have absolutely nothing to fear."
The 66-year-old man has since been released on bail and is due to appear before Antrim Magistrates Court on the 10 August.
(MB)
Officers from Customs’ North Regional Strike Force uncovered the cigarette haul on Monday afternoon when baggage belonging to travellers returning on a flight from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, was searched.
Following the detection, supported by the PSNI, Customs officers seized a further 29,700 cigarettes in a follow-up operation at domestic premises in the North West.
Commenting on the seizure, Customs Head of Detection in Northern Ireland, Colin McAllister said: “This is part of Customs’ ongoing work to prevent not only the commercial smuggling, but also the onward transport and sale and thus protect honest shopkeepers in Northern Ireland. These seizures alone would have meant almost £14,000 in lost sales to legitimate traders.
“Customs officers will continue to tackle smugglers who use holiday flights to cover their illegal activities. However, we would stress that honest travellers should have absolutely nothing to fear."
The 66-year-old man has since been released on bail and is due to appear before Antrim Magistrates Court on the 10 August.
(MB)
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